The Final Desperation

"Report, sir! Traces of the Bloodless Killer have been detected near our fortress." A hologram machine in the supreme commander's office lit up, projecting the video of a fortress general.

"I thought I said not to report to me about him anymore." The commander looked up from his reports with a tired expression, having pulled multiple all-nighters to ensure proper command of the battlefield.

Recently, the Celestials had experienced numerous battles over territory, and the supreme commander had been at the center of all of them, tailoring their forces to each battle. As such, he hadn't slept for a single moment, pushing his mind to the limits. If it weren't for the potent energy drinks, he would have collapsed days ago.

As for why the Celestials have something like energy drinks, it had to do with maintaining combat abilities in prolonged battles. While rotation shifts were the norm, every soldier was needed in times of crisis.

The energy drinks were provided to ensure everyone could fight. After all, it would be a disaster if everyone collapsed from exhaustion while the enemies were right outside their fortress.

If that happened, the enemies wouldn't even need to try. The Zergs could just throw units at them until they all collapsed before storming the place.

To prevent that, energy drinks were created and supplied to every fortress, but they were rarely used due to their potent side effects. These weren't your normal energy drinks but enhanced versions, strong enough to affect even generals who have condensed their celestial cores.

Therefore, the side effects were equally powerful, capable of keeping someone in bed for days. Quoting the words of one realm member, "It's like a hangover on steroids. No matter how bad you think it is, it will be 5 times worse. Don't drink it if you can. Your body will thank you."

"Sir, I believe this is a special case." The general saluted and awaited the commander's answer.

"How so?"

"The fortress under my jurisdiction isn't at the front lines, but the midfield¹Generally the middle of the battlefield in intensity. It is more dangerous than the backline, but not as dangerous as the frontlines.. I have reason to suspect Bloodless Killer is leaving the central battlefield."

"What?!" The general jumped to his feet and slammed the desk, his eyes narrowing in seriousness. "You suspect? Are you sure? This isn't something you can joke about."

"Yes, sir. Our scouting parties discovered multiple battles without any blood. When drawn on a map, they form a straight line heading for the area between us and the Zergs."

The commander sat down and rubbed his forehead, muttering "Goddammit. I'm too tired to deal with this."

For a split second, the general questioned his hearing, having sworn he heard the commander curse. However, he quickly dismissed it as an auditory hallucination that he misinterpreted. After all, how could the dignified supreme commander possibly curse in front of his subordinate? Wouldn't that be too uncharacteristic of him?

But what the general didn't consider was that the dignified commander had already lost his bearing. His mind had been stretched to its limits after multiple days of strategizing. That was why he reacted so extremely when the general made the report, despite him normally being level-headed.

"What are your orders, sir?"

The commander thought for a few minutes before gritting his teeth and saying, "Deploy the super weapons."

"But sir! We don't have the council's permission. Without their help, we will have an energy deficiency in a few days."

"I know, but the situation's urgent. We're already the weakest party on the battlefield, so any incident might trigger the other factions. If we don't want to become fish on the chopping block, we need to show our might and intimidate them. Only that way can we stabilize our situation. As for the energy, I'll ask the council to send more. For now, spread the word and make the preparations."

"Understood." The general straightened his back and saluted again.

"And one last thing before you hang up."

"Listening, sir."

"Call Commander Chorizo if there are any issues. I won't be available for some time." Before the general could ask any more questions, the supreme commander hung up, as if declaring a fact. Only that way could he muddle by without any explanations.

'Finally over. Now to catch up on my sleep,' the commander thought, turning off the lights and throwing himself onto the couch.

On the other end of the call, the general couldn't help but notice the commander's strangeness. 'It's like he didn't want to talk anymore. I wonder what could have caused this. He's normally so approachable, always answering our questions and teaching us how to judge the situation for ourselves.'

The general pushed aside that thought and communicated the orders, adding all the generals to the call. No one questioned anything since this was the norm.

For some reason, it was always the generals filling each other in instead of the commander, but they simply attributed it to the commander's busy schedule. Since he has to manage the entire battlefield, he must have more important matters to attend to.

But what they didn't know was that the true reason behind this setup was that the commander had forgotten their communication signals. Therefore, he couldn't add them to the call even if he wanted to. Instead, he always left this task to the person receiving the orders.

Granted, he could easily obtain this information by asking someone, but he was too embarrassed to bring it up. Could you imagine telling someone that you don't remember their name when you've been in the same friend circle for years? That's the same feeling for the commander. Plus, why would he change the current system when it's working perfectly fine?

'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' That was his justification, but it doesn't change the fact that he was procrastinating it. What a fascinating commander indeed. 

 

---

 

Ever since the death of her mother, Igani had been living a blissful life, away from the conflicts of the battlefield. While all the other queens scampered to adapt to their new empress, Igani had moved her nest to a remote location, causing everyone to forget about her. Thus, she was freed from her troop-spawning duties, greatly easing her mental worries.

Since she didn't need to produce troops anymore, she could reduce how much she had to hunt, in turn minimizing unwanted attention on herself. To the timid Igani, she couldn't ask for anything better since the less attention she had, the better. After all, the best way to stay safe was not to get involved in fights in the first place.

She didn't care that her forces were so weak that any random soldier could obliterate her. To do that, they needed to find her first, something no one cared for. Why would they go out of their way to remove a nonexistent threat when they could be doing something more productive?

That was why Igani could live without any worries, content with the current status quo. At least she could live without worries instead of having to fret about people planning her death. What was the point of power if it only attracted more danger? For Igani, her current situation was as close to her ideal lifestyle as it could get—peaceful and devoid of conflict.

But if she had to point out one flaw in her paradise, it would have to be the lack of sweets. She ran out half a year ago, but her cravings had only grown since. She could have sworn she budgeted her snacks well, but they just all disappeared one day. Oh, what would she give to taste those sugary candies again?

"See? I told you she exists. I didn't just make her up."

This sudden voice came from behind, interrupting her reminiscence and startling her badly. Igani jumped onto her eight feet, and her head frantically darted about, searching for the invisible intruder.

'Oh no! I'm so dead. What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted to live a peaceful life. Why does everyone want to kill me so much?'

"Neeiiigghhhh." Bruce expressed his doubt, clearly sensing the distress in the spider's actions. No matter how he thought about it, this didn't seem like how friends would greet each other.

"That's because she's looking at the wrong spot. Of course, she would be scared when she couldn't find us." Genji walked into view and approached the trembling spider queen.

"Can you not react like this? You're making me look bad." Genji patted her head and waved his hand in front of her dazed eyes. "You know? This brings back memories. I'm pretty sure this was how our first meeting went."

Hearing these unusual words, Igani returned from her despair and examined Genji, searching her memories for the encounter in question. Eventually, she settled on the blurry figure who introduced her to her sugar addict-*ahem ahem* appreciation *ahem ahem.* Yeah, appreciation, not addiction. She doesn't have an addiction; you have an addiction. And she would fight anyone who says otherwise... Okay, maybe not, but she refuses to admit it.

"It's you!" Her chirpy childish voice sounded in their heads with tints of excitement in her tone.

Genji was used to this form of communication, but Bruce had a bewildered look on his face. 'Who was that? Where did the voice come from? Isn't master the only human here?'

After looking around for some time, Bruce's eyes settled on the giant spider with the twinkling eyes. 'No way right? How can she possibly speak? She's a spider!'

"Yes, it's me. Long time no see," Genji greeted her, confirming Bruce's suspicion and causing the nightbane's eyes to expand into wide saucers.

"Here, have a gift." Genji took out a plastic jar full of tiny, colorful bits and tossed it over. Igani skillfully weaved a net from her webs and caught the item.

'Oooh, candy. How much I missed you.'

Igani struggled with the lid for a couple of minutes before finally opening it and pouring half of its contents into her mouth. Now that her supplier was here, she didn't need to hold herself back anymore. She could finally indulge herself in her cravings.

As she savored the much-missed sweetness, she let out a satisfied "Mmmmmm," before swallowing and addressing Genji. "How chewy. Can you tell me what I just ate?" Then she popped a few more into her mouth, slowly enjoying the unique bouncy texture between the crevices of her mouth.

"Oh, that? My latest poison," Genji answered casually, causing Igani to drop the jar and spill its contents.

"Y-your w-w-what?" She stuttered, backing away from him.

"You know, the same as last time. Poison." Genji walked over, picked up the jar, and scooped the fallen contents back into the container, including those that slipped out of Igani's mouth and were still covered in her saliva. "Now open up. It's not good to waste things."

Igani hurriedly shut her mouth and shook her head from side to side. "No, don't come any clos-AHHHHHHHHH."

Genji's head pulsated with a mild headache as he pried open her jaws and forced her to consume the remaining items, all while Igani screamed bloody murder into his head.

When everything disappeared into her throat, Genji let go, allowing Igani to scamper aside and hang her head. After gagging a few times with no results, she looked up at him with teary eyes, as if asking why he would do such a cruel thing to her.

"You know the deal. I need your help with something, so I can only apologize for that."

*sniffle* "But why did you have to poison me? It's not like I will betray you."

"It's always better to be safe than sorry. Think on the bright side. You still get to eat lots of treats while you work with me."

At the mention of the sweets, her mouth started to water again, recalling the jawbreakers she had been obsessed with. Maybe she could get different flavors this time?

'And it's not like I will lose out. I just have to follow his orders and take the antidote at the given times. It can't be that hard. Plus, he didn't even poison me last time. Maybe it's the same this time, and he's just scaring me?' A trace of hope formed inside her heart, but Genji's next words instantly crushed it.

"By the way, if you think I'm bluffing for whatever reason, I have some bad news for you. I've already pulled the trick once, so do you really think I will do it again? No, I'm serious this time. There's also no routine medicine for you to take. This poison will activate in 40 days. If you don't get the antidote in that time, you will die without a doubt. Whether you betray me or I die, you will have the same outcome. If you want to live, you better do everything to ensure I succeed."

Hearing Genji's sudden shift in tone, Bruce's mouth dropped open. So this was what his master meant by 'friend.' What did he expect? Bruce should have known better. How could Genji have any friends when their enemies were so strong? Who would even dare help them?

'Still, did you have to scare her like that? Was it necessary?' Bruce gave Genji a weird look, wondering if he had some weird fetish for traumatizing females in particular. First, there was the friend on Earth (Kosa), then the witch (Fiona), and now this spider.

Just what is wrong with him? Oh, wait, a lot of things. 'I still love you though, master. Please keep bringing me around to experience these fun things and most importantly, delicious foods.'

At this moment, Genji turned around and winked at Bruce, ignoring the strange glint in the nightbane's eyes. 'Shhhh, don't say anything.' Genji brought a finger to his lips, communicating his intentions to Bruce, who nodded in understanding.

'Okay, master. I'll sit back and watch the show.'

'Good boy.' Genji flashed him a thumbs-up before turning back to the stunned Igani.

"You still with me?"

"What do I need to do," Igani asked in a dejected tone, accepting that her future wouldn't be as happy as she expected.

"I want you to create some troops based on this body." Genji pointed to Diafthora's body on Bruce's back.

"I don't have the bio-energy."

"Will this do?" Genji took out a crystal that had been idle since he killed Silver Empress's substitute.

 

[Bio-Crystal IV]

Rating: Legendary

Effect: Gain 25,982 bioenergy upon use.

 

"I need to rebuild my nest," Igani replied, inwardly sighing when she sensed a familiar fluctuation from the crystal.

'Oh mother, even you got killed. What a dangerous world we live in. But don't worry. I'll make good use of your memento. May you rest in peace, knowing that your daughter is safe with your help.' Igani uttered an outrageous prayer, one that would have made her mother rise from the grave and curse her if she ever knew.

'What rest in peace? Aren't I dead because you introduced that bastard to me? How dare you pretend you aren't involved! How can I have such a stupid daughter, you disgrace for a Zerg queen?'

Fortunately, this was impossible or Igani would be experiencing another mental beatdown right now.

"Rebuild? Like the whole thing?" Genji asked, noticing how barren her nest was, if one could even call it a nest. Everything was made of stone as if Igani had dug a borrow for herself instead of constructing the excepted nest of flesh and blood.

"Yes. I shut down everything so no one can find me." Igani beamed with a proud smile, congratulating herself for the ingenious idea.

Genji gave her a speechless look, wondering how her mind functioned. Instead of striving to get stronger, this quirky queen decided to hide in the middle of nowhere, praying she would go unnoticed.

Granted, it almost worked since Genji would never have found her without his compass, but it didn't change the fact that Igani gave up her greatest strength to hide like this. Objectively speaking, her current state was no different than a mole, hiding and living alone.

Genji could not understand how the vicious battlefield produced such an outlier, especially among the Zergs, who relied on massacres to meet the energy demands for producing troops.

It was like a tiger going vegetarian, something that should be impossible, yet Igani managed to maintain such a childlike innocence, one common among newborns. Genji didn't know if this was a blessing or a curse, but it made his plans much easier.

"So theoretically, you can build a new nest anywhere you want."

"Yeah, but why would I do that?" Igani gave him a confused look. "Isn't this place perfectly fine?"

"No. It's too remote and doesn't have any resources to grow your army. For our current enemies, you need to at least reach your mother's previous level to stand a chance."

Igani's mouth dropped wide open, unable to believe her hearing. "That's impossible! Do you know how long mother took to reach that level? There's no way I can do it in 40 days!"

"Maybe not through normal means, but what about the central battlefield? There's plenty of strong beings there to provide you with energy."

Igani instantly backed away from Genji, treating him like a god of death. "No no no no no no no," she vehemently denied, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "Do you know how dangerous that place is? Are you crazy?"

"Can you guess where the body came from?"

An ominous feeling swelled in Igani's mind, causing her to robotically turn to the withered body by Bruce's feet. "Please don't tell me it's what I think it is?"

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is. And one of the strongest beings as well. Your mother got 6 bodies of the same level and instantly became a public target. If you don't want to be hunted down, you will need to become strong enough that no one dares to mess with you. The only way to do that is to enter the battlefield."

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not doing this. There's nothing you can say that can change my mind. I'm not entering the central battlefield! It's suicide if I go there! I still want to live, even if it's only for 40 more days." Igani wailed like a child throwing a tantrum, except she had a valid reason for doing so.

"What if I add some candy?" Genji dangled some tasty confectionery treats in her sight and swayed it back and forth like a pendulum.

As Igani's eyes followed the wrapped sweet, her mind wavered, but her desire to live quickly overpowered that impulse before it could fully tempt her.

"N-no. I don't want to die, even if I can't eat candy again. Plus, how do I know it's not poison?" Igani questioned, recalling the deceivingly sweet flavor that caused this situation.

"It's not poison this time."

Igani's eyes twinkled with desire, but her rationale stopped her. Genji had tricked her once already so what was stopping him from doing it again? But no matter how she justified it, she couldn't explain why Genji would lie about this.

But to be safe, she held up her front leg and asked, "You pinky promise?" It was as if she expected this gesture to be a sacred vow, one that swore to expel all dishonestly.

Genji raised his brow at this gesture, wondering why this talk resembled an adult coaxing a child. 'Pinky promise? How old is she that she still believes in that? And how does she even know about pinky promises? Isn't that a human thing?'

However, for the sake of the conversation, Genji suppressed his urge to tease Igani and shook her leg. "I pinky promise that this candy is not poison and I did not tamper with it. This is how it came when I bought it."

Satisfied with this answer, Igani made her own proposal. "Midfield. I'll go with you to the midfield, but nowhere past that."

"Very well." Genji agreed, knowing this was at least a start. If he tried to push her any further, it would only backfire and ruin their friendship. "Finish packing and meet us outside."

Genji tossed over the treat and walked out with Bruce, giving Igani some privacy with her sugary delight.